Madison County coach Tim Cook consoles senior
basketball star Tawana Moon after she left the court for the
final time in a Lady Raider uniform last Wednesday against North
Gwinnett.Photo by Zach Mitcham

EDUCATION

New school district
lines approvedBY FRANK GILLISPIE
The Madison County Board of Education has tentatively approved
new boundaries for elementary school districts that incorporate
the new Hull/Sanford school. The new school will draw students
from an area with borders beginning at Hwy. 72 in Hull to the
Spratlin Mill Road to Diamond Hill, along the Neese-Diamond Hill
Road, then along the Neese-Commerce Road to the Leon Ellis Road
to Seagraves Mill Road and on to the Jackson County line.
Lines separating the Ila and Colbert districts will be modified
to create approximately equal student populations of 400-plus
in each school. The schools at Danielsville and Comer will have
only minimal changes.
Copies of the map are available at each elementary school and
at the board of education office.
Assistant superintendent Jimmy Minish said that some minor adjustments
may be necessary as new attendance figures come in.
All board members expressed approval of the plan and it was unanimously
adopted.
In a separate matter Tuesday, BOE member John Mason addressed
the question of Student Athlete Codes of Conduct. He was concerned
about a statement in a code of conduct for softball players that
appears to give the coach the right to discipline students for
misconduct on a year-round basis. Mason feared that a multi-sports
student might be punished separately by several coaches for the
same misconduct. He also expressed his concern that coaches may
be taking away the responsibility of parents to discipline their
children.
Board attorney Lane Fitzpatrick said he was unable to find any
clear legal ruling on the ability of coaches to control their
teams. Both the state board and the athletic associations place
the responsibility for such decisions on the local board of education.
Superintendent Dennis Moore warned that excessive interference
in the prerogatives of a coach can have a negative impact on
efforts to recruit and keep good coaches. He reported that the
various coaches plan to meet at the end of the school year to
discuss a uniform code. And he also pointed out the dangers of
changing policy in the middle of a school year.
The board voted to urge the coaches to develop a uniform code
and ask for a report at the June meeting.

Baseball field
lights to be upgradedBY FRANK GILLISPIE
The Madison County Board of Education has received five bids
to upgrade the lights on the baseball field. A recent inspection
revealed that the lights are below the requirements for a field
to host a regional or state playoff.
Several proposals were submitted that range from adding and replacing
current lights, to adding more racks or a completely new system.
Prices range from $32,600 to $58,000. Superintendent Dennis Moore
said the current budget includes approximately half the needed
funds. He said that if action were taken in time, those funds
could be used for a down payment, with the remainder budgeted
in the next fiscal year.
Frank Gilbert of the school system's maintenance staff will review
the bids and make a recommendation at the next meeting.
In other action, the board approved a contract with Coca Cola
to provide a $7,500 scoreboard at the new school's gymnasium
in exchange for an exclusive right to place coke machines in
the teachers lounge and in the gym's snack bar.
The group endorsed a call for state legislation requiring parental
responsibility for students who bring firearms to school.
The board approved a uniform field trip form, heard reports on
the after school programs and school nurse reports.
They received a report on the new night school program for high
school students and learned that the school system received a
SPLOST check for $115,145 for the month of November.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

County planners split
over Floyd Road rezoning BY MARGIE RICHARDS
County planners split 3 -3 on whether or not to give the go-ahead
to a rezoning request on Floyd Road at Tuesday night's public
hearing of the planning and zoning commission.
Conrad Westbrook, representing owner James W. Brock Jr., requested
permission to rezone a three-acre portion of a 14.87-acre parcel
on Floyd Road from A2 (agricultural - five acre minimum) to RR
(rural residential - two acre minimum).
Westbrook wants to buy the three acres to build a brick home
on it.
The land is part of the James W. Brock Sr. estate and is located
near Camp Maranatha, which is operated by Brock's family.
A number of neighboring landowners along Floyd Road spoke to
the commission opposing the rezoning. They cited a fear of setting
a precedent for smaller parcels in the area. Most currently own
property in five-acre or larger portions that are zoned A-2.
"I'm opposed to any change in the neighborhood," Michael
Sales told the commission.
Former state representative Louie Clark, another landowner along
Floyd Road, said he was opposed to any rezoning in the area of
less than five acres.
"This is an historic area," Clark said, citing the
proximity of Roger's Mill and the site of an old fort.
Aaron Reynolds, a grandson of Rev. Brock, told the commission
that a five-acre parcel was "not feasible" around Westbrook's
proposed homesite and that it is the Brock family's desire for
Westbrook to purchase the property.
On rebuttal, Westbrook told the commission that three acres was
all he could afford at this time.
"They (Brock family) could sell five acres (without a rezoning)
and put a cheap trailer there ...I'm wanting to buy three acres
and put a nice home there," he said in response to the objections.
"This is not unlike rezoning we have considered over the
last few years - to allow a rezoning for an isolated parcel,"
said Chairman Pat Mahoney, who voted in support of the rezoning.
She also said that she felt the rezoning would have "no
significant impact" on the area, whereas larger tracts of
land in the area that could come up for rezoning at a later time
"would make a significant impact." Commissioners Brenda
Thompson and Bill Holloway agreed.
Commissioners Roy Gandy, Ralph Power and Jim Beals voted to deny
the request.
The commission is currently short one member.
In another matter, the commission voted unanimously to recommend
denial of a request by Gerald Parham for an area variance on
Parham Dudley Road for the purpose of locating two poultry houses
closer than 200 feet of a property line.
Neighboring property owner Jana Sallee expressed concern over
odor from the poultry houses blowing toward her home due to the
proposed position of the structures.
The commission does not recommend such area variances for approval
without the written consent of neighboring property owners who
will be affected by such a decision. Sallee said she would provide
the written consent if the houses could be shifted to avoid the
fans in the rear of the home from blowing odor toward her home.
On rebuttal Parham maintained that the current location for the
houses was the only viable one, and that shifting them would
cause more expense in grading the land.
In other business, the commission voted to recommend approval
for :
·a request by Dale Fleming to rezone 4.71 acres on Hwy.
72 east of Colbert from A1 to RR. Fleming wants to subdivide
the land into two 2.4 acre parcels for residences.
·a second request by Dale Fleming to rezone five acres
on Hwy. 72 at the intersection of CR 270 from A2 to RR. Fleming
wants to subdivide this parcel into two 2.5 acre parcels for
residences.
·a request from Winnie Hayden of Rainbow Signs, Inc. for
a sign variance for Ingles new superstore on Hwy. 29 at Glenn
Carrie Road. The variance will allow the standard package of
five lighted signs, covering 325 feet of wall space, to be mounted
on the front of the store to advertise the store's new services.
The commission also agreed to allow Ingles to go ahead and mount
the signs, unlighted, pending the BOC's final approval. If the
signs are denied, Ingles will have to remove them. Hayden said
there would be no change to the free standing signs in the store's
parking lot.
·a request by Kent Sartain, representing his mother, Sally
Ruth Sartain, to rezone 5.34 acres on Hwy. 29 north from A2 to
RR. The Sartains want to divide the property into two lots containing
two separate residences.
·a second request by Kent Sartain, representing Max Sartain,
to rezone a .32-acre parcel on Hwy. 29 north from A1 to RR in
order to blend it into the larger parcel. Max Sartain is allowing
the purchase of the .32 acre tract in order to provide adequate
road frontage for a manufactured home.
·a request by Annette Blackmon to rezone 1.84 acres on
Hwy. 72 west of Carlton from RR to B2 (business). Blackmon wants
to resell the property, which is sandwiched between Hwy. 72 and
the railroad, for a business.